Paul’s IT Documentation

Converting video for use in a Connect Meeting

Yesterday I was asked about how to add a video to a connect meeting space. The easy answer is convert it to an flv (flash video file format) and upload it to the meeting space. The more complete answer is – it might be easy, it might be a bit more challenging.

In this case the video that the meeting hosts want to use is on a dvd, which adds a nice bit of complication into the mix. If you’ve ever browsed a dvd you know there is not a video file you can grab onto and convert. There is a Video_TS folder with some files in it, which generally don’t correspond to anything you’ve ever had the pleasure of working with before. But, it’s ok – ripping video from a dvd is a time honored procedure and there are tools to help.

The first thing I did was download the lates version of HandBrake – an open source video transcoder. I used HandBrake a couple of times in the past, but that was on a Mac. I downloaded the pc installer, installed it and fired it up.

Using Handbrake is pretty intuitive and easy. I selected the “Source” – in this case a DVD/VIDEO_TS folder, set my output format to AV. Ripping a 32 minute video took about an hour, on my machine. Once it was finished I had an avi file which I still cannot upload to a Connect meeting room, so on to step 2.

Step 2 – Converting the AVI to FLV

For my flv conversion needs, I generally use Riva FLV Encoder. I’ve been using Riva for about 2 years now and – given that it is free and works well – I recommend it for your conversion needs, as well.

I selected my input video – the file I had just created using HandBrake – by browsing to it’s location. I kept the default presets, set the “Destination video file name” and location and then clicked the big “Encode” button. Then I walked away for a while. This process can be somewhat lengthy and processor intensive, so I find it best just to walk away for a while and let it churn.

Once it was  done encoding, I had a nice, tidy, flv file. I promptly opened a Connect meeting room, uploaded the flv and played it to make sure the quality was ok. Lo, and behold – it worked. I do enjoy it when software works like you expect it to. Granted, it was not a simple “Open meeting, upload file” procedure but it is not a complicated process either. And it can all be done with free and/or open source tools.

As a closing note – both of these pieces of software have a lot of flexibility in shaping the output. In this instance I used the default settings, which worked just fine, but you can fine tune things til the cows come home – adjusting framerates, etc…I leave that exploration up to you.

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